I Just Want To Know What Love Is

The day of amorous activity is ominously circling towards us and as the old adage goes – ‘love makes the world go round.’

What would Saint Valentine think of the traditions that are associated with the 14^th of February? Is it just one over-the-top commercial ploy to bring about excessive amounts of chocolate indulgence and ensure the sales of flowers blossom like no other time in the calendar? Or is there any genuine substance to the many bottles of bubbly and ‘Dine in for Two’ meals so immaculately presented by the more sophisticated end of the supermarket spectrum?

Saturday would seem the perfect opportunity for me to produce a romantic gesture or two given that I am now in a relationship. However, it would be rather fickle of me to cherish such an occasion given that I used to berate this time of the year when I was inevitably single, long before social media dominated our lives and posting unlimited amounts of selfies was deemed acceptable.

So how should I approach such an event? Do I give in and sprinkle the house with rose petals? Do I attempt to cook a three course meal complete with candles and other irresistible scents? I suspect most restaurants will be packed like a tin of sardines and that feeling of intimacy will be working its magic elsewhere. The options are endless and yet in many ways the concept is ridiculous.

I used to close my ears when other individuals caught in the whirlwind of love tried to divulge all of their Valentine plans to me.

Subconsciously I may have been a tad jealous, but I still find it hard to understand why there is a specific day where you are expected to put on a display of lust and adoration to satisfy the love of your life. There is definitely an unexplainable pressure given it is the first Valentine’s Day we will share together and yet I and the ‘better half’ have both been laid back about the whole situation. Having said that, I best keep reminding her that my wallet took a Mike Tyson sized uppercut at the Five Bells in Bassingham last Friday.

I have been informed that as the years roll by, the 14^th of February is given less and less priority on the relationship agenda. A part of me feels that as it is our first time, my efforts should stray away from being simply categorized as ordinary and therefore I must ensure that I start thinking outside of the chocolate box. So far we have both reached an agreement that an exchanging of cards shall take place. Who said romance was dead?